These investors have lots of money at their disposal, mainly from rich individuals and pension funds. They also face fewer regulations than banks. Since the 2008 financial crisis, they’ve expanded their horizons and begun shopping for bargains in new places.

Their reach is probably all around you — from the clock on your wall, to the toilet paper in your bathroom, to the Twinkies you snack on. And now, private equity firms are increasingly taking over services usually reserved for the government.

Some towns without stops complain that they will get the annoyances of train traffic, including noise and delays, without the economic benefits of having a station. Fortress, for its part, says its project is creating jobs and taking cars off the road.

Private equity also helps oversee public golf courses in several states …

… it builds courthouses …

… it invests in private schools down the street …

… and in the local newspaper. New Media Investment Group, which operates in 31 states, is associated with Fortress, the firm building the train in Florida.

Now that you’ve made it to work, you might be sitting inside a building controlled by Blackstone, a huge private equity firm and one of the largest landlords in the country.

Private equity can follow you back home when you pay your monthly mortgage. After the 2008 housing crisis, private equity firms expanded dramatically into the mortgage business, as the nation’s banks struggled.